Board members and district athletic representatives told the Washington County School District board on Oct. 13 that a persistent shortage of lacrosse officials is forcing officials to be brought in from Salt Lake — driving up costs and threatening the sustainability of girls lacrosse in the district.

At a working-session discussion about Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) activities, a board member identified as Rusty said UHSAA is recruiting but the district still faces too few officials locally. "If you don't have officials enough to man games by the springtime, we're not playing. I mean, I I I it's a safety issue to me," Rusty said.

Rusty and other board members described a situation in which only a handful of certified girls-lacrosse officials are based locally; travel and per-mile reimbursement for officials from Salt Lake make single games substantially more expensive. "It'll end up costing the schools probably $250 to $300 per official for those games," one board speaker said, describing a mileage reimbursement scenario discussed by principals.

District presenters and school principals told the board that the shortage affects scheduling and participation. Practices and games compete with other spring sports — boys soccer and track among them — for fields and times. The board heard that some schools have reduced play to local, single matchups because visiting schools decline to travel without officials. Rusty said that while the UHSAA has run recruitment programs, including university outreach and training courses, officials remain scarce: "They're recruiting constantly. They've gone to universities to offer classes ... they're trying to get younger guys in," Rusty said, but added that more local recruitment is needed.

Board members discussed possible next steps including pressuring UHSAA for more local official recruitment and encouraging parents to obtain online certification. "It will be unsustainable for us to bring officials from Northern Utah," a board member said, urging coaches and local stakeholders to help build a base of officials.

Board members did not vote on a specific policy during the discussion. Several members said the issue could force a difficult choice in which the board would consider suspending local lacrosse play if safe, adequately officiated contests cannot be guaranteed.

District staff and board members asked principals and coaches to track participation and to intensify local recruitment of officials so the district can avoid canceling or curtailing the sport.

The board indicated it will continue discussing the matter at future meetings and urged athletic directors and coaches to report back with recruitment plans and participation data.